Crytek

The future of movies is here - it's in video game engines. I came to this realization when I took part in the Thief in the Shadows VR experience at GDC 2015 with Epic Games. Word today is that Amazon recently struck a deal with Crytek to do something or other - license their gaming engine, perhaps - in a deal that we can't help but think has something to do with video entertainment. Movies, even. While Amazon does not give up on projects, even when they fail, tapping in to CryEngine's potential more than likely means Amazon is about to go big with a big-screen production (on their own small screens, of course).

This week we've had the opportunity to take a peek at the newest in virtual reality computing and entertainment at GDC 2015. Oculus VR is working with multiple content creators and game engine-makers - one of the most impressive of which is Crytek. Utilizing the newest in new - Oculus VR's Crescent Bay VR headset - Crytek implements a CryEngine demonstration called "Back to Dinosaur Island" for the masses. This demonstration works with the full Crescent Bay headset / motion camera setup - and it's mildly terrifying.

The Android version of Crysis 3 has been revealed, and here it is - in a very early form. This game is set to be released later this year - likely at the same time as the NVIDIA SHIELD home entertainment device - but for now it's in a very early stage of development. This is not a GRID game - it's running natively on Android. This is a real-deal Android game we'll be able to download from Google Play for NVIDIA SHIELD later this year.

Crytek USA's CEO and others quit last week over lack of pay, according to sources that are said to be familiar with what went down. This follows Crytek's downsizing that took place recently at the studio in Texas, and is said to have resulted after weeks of salary payments being made late.

The folks at Crytek UK have sold the rights to the gaming franchise Homefront to Deep Silver. This means big things for the series, but suggests the current title "Homefront: The Revolution" may be in flux. We recently saw some (rather impressive looking) trailer work earlier this year on the game - it’d be a darn shame if it never got made.

In early February the Crytek game Warface entered a limited beta allowing only specifically chosen gamers access to the game. The closed beta is now over and Warface is entering open beta to allow more gamers access. Open Beta will bring three Versus modes over from the Closed Beta.

Crytek made its name on the back of some of the coolest video games for the PC and console on the market like Crysis. Crytek also has a free to play game for PC players called Warface. Crytek has announced that it has teamed up with a company called DeNA to launch its first mobile free to play game. The new mobile game is called The Collectables.

Crytek is a game developer behind the incredibly popular Crysis franchise. Typically, the company develops high-end video games that sell for $50 or $60 per copy. Crytek announced a while back that it was working on a new online free to play FPS title called Warface.

Sony, Google, Crytek and others have thrown down the gauntlet to game developers, challenging them to integrate open-source map data into games, boost the usability of casual gaming, and come up with new second-screen titles as part of a new UK innovation event. The IC Tomorrow Digital Innovation contest sees five categories proposed, with Sony, Google, Crytek, Intel, and Odeon Cinemas all setting challenges that range from cutting the amount of time it takes to create virtual worlds in games, through to integrating technologies like WebRTC and NFC into online titles.